The Kitab al-Athar of Imam Abu Hanifah in the narration of Imam Muhammad Ibn al-Hasan ash-Shaybani.

The Kitab al-Athar was the first book composed in Islam after the generation of the Companions. Al-Imam al-A’zam Abu Hanifah Nu’man ibn Thabit wrote it. It comprises Ahadith that connect directly back to the Messenger of Allah sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam (marfu’), those which stop short at a Companion or one of the Followers (mawquf) and those which are attributed to the Messenger sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam directly by one of the Followers or Followers of the Followers without attribution to a Companion (mursal).

In the version before us, Imam Muhammad, himself a mujtahid, narrated each tradition from Imam Abu Hanifah and then followed each with some explanatory material, sometimes confirming and occasionally differing with his Imam.

Imam Abu Hanifa --
Imam Abu Hanifah was from Kufa and was one of the Followers (tabi’un). He was born in 80 AH in a family of Persian ancestry. Imam Abu Hanifah was a trader in fabrics. He studied with the great scholars of Kufa who transmitted the schools of Ibn Mas’ud and ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib in particular, but he also travelled further afield in search of hadith and fiqh. He was noted for his exceptional grasp of fiqh, and is said to have laid its foundations. He died in 150 AH in Baghdad.

His list of teachers is very extensive, and his list of pupils a roll-call of honour. Sahl ibn Muzahim said, “Abu Hanifah’s knowledge was universal knowledge.” Ash-Shafi’ee said, “In fiqh people are the needy dependents of Abu Hanifah.”

Imam Muhammad al-Shaybani --
He is Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn al-Hasan ibn Farqad al-Shaybani. Muhammad was born in Wasit in 132 AH, and grew up in Kufa. He was a pupil of Abu Hanifah. Imam Shafi’i said, “I have not seen anyone more eloquent than him. I used to think when I saw him reciting the Qur’an that it was as if the Qur’an had been revealed in his language.” He also said, “I have not seen anyone more intelligent than Muhammad ibn al-Hasan.” Dhahabi said, “He narrated from Malik ibn Anas and others, and he was one of the great oceans of knowledge and fiqh, and he was strong [when he narrated] from Malik.” Muhammad said, “I stood at Malik’s door for three years and I heard [the Muwatta’] from him [with] more than seven hundred hadith.” He died in Rayy in 189 AH.

Hafiz Riyad Ahmad al-Multani The explanatory footnotes to this text are the work of the contemporary scholar Hafiz Riyad Ahmad from Multan in Pa

dge] but they will not find a man of knowledge more knowledgeable than the man of knowledge of Madina.” Among his pupils were the Imams Sufyan ath-Thawri, Sa’id ibn Mansur, ‘Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak, ‘Abd ar-Rahman al-Awza’i who was older than him, Layth ibn Sa’d who was one of his peers, Imam ash-Shafi’i, Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Shaybani, the Malikis ‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn al-Qasim, Yahya ibn Yahya al-Laythi, Ibn Wahb, and Dhu’n-Nun al-Misri. He died in 179 AH on the morning of the 14th of Rabi’ al-Awwal.